Why is it so hard for us aspies to get a job?

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I worked at CVS this year but quit impulsively(an aspie thing ). Now three weeks later i am still applying to jobs(literally hundreds a week) and i only hear back from like 5 for an interview. I have had 5 interviews and no job responses. Why is it easy for others to get a job, and not us aspies?

It is hard for anyone to get a job when unemployed--but much easier when you are.

I have never had a problem finding work.

Are you just randomly sending your CV off to online job postings, or have you taken the time to find positions that match your skills/interests and to write a custom cover letter to the hiring manager?

Impulsively quitting a job is an aspie thing? This is new. Personally, I've only done that once in my life that I can think of.

For me, finding a job is hard because I have a hard time sugarcoating things or being self-censoring. With a 2 year gap in employment and a firing on my record, that's a liability. Blaming those shortcomings on my autism serves no purpose. Comparing how easy it is for aspies to find jobs vs. non-aspies also serves no purpose.

What does make sense is doing my thing, doing it well, and making sure the outsiders know about it. Since that's what keeps me going, I therefore recommend it to you.

I think it can be summed up in one word: networking. I don't 'get' it, I cannot read between the lines and I don't know many people deeply enough to be 'connected'. It also doesn't help that my area is flooded with underemployed 21-35 college grads. I do know that going online is the worst way to go and using (Canada's) government job site is usually reserved as a last resort for employers. Ya gotta know people and play the game and I am not even aware there is a game being played.

I know when I worked in retail (before it all went online) you handed your application to the customer service desk worker. They would discreetly write a smiley (or frowny) face of various sizes on an application based on how you looked (i.e. did you look like you just took off an orange jumpsuit?), conducted yourself, treated people and how intelligent you seemed. It worked wonderfully!

My recommendation is to scout places out in person and let someone see your face a few times. For me, it helped mentioning hockey or my hometown if I knew the interviewer was interested in those subjects: they don't want to be in that interview room any more than you do!

I struggle with confidence and self advocacy, people that don't know me tend to not like me and there isn't much I can do to change that. A lot of anxiety issues. Definitely no networking of any kind, stuff compounds itself as you get older. So the longer you are unemployed, without relevant work history, out of school, etc the more unemployable you are. We struggle because it is a serious disability that isn't taken very seriously by most people.

hus·tle
ˈhəsəl/Submit
verb
1.
force (someone) to move hurriedly or unceremoniously in a specified direction.
"they hustled him into the back of a horse-drawn wagon"
2.
NORTH AMERICANinformal
obtain by forceful action or persuasion.
"the brothers headed to New York to try and hustle a record deal"
noun
1.
busy movement and activity.
"the hustle and bustle of the big cities"

Decide what is going to happen before you begin. In the past, I would always choose where I wanted to work instead of the other way around. I'd research the company as specificly as possible. I would show up everyday and get to know the crew. I would be eager, polite, with an attitude that I was just waiting for the papers to get sorted before I start. You will be surprised at how many smiles you get from this kind of enthusiasm (jobs too).

Yes, I am an Aspie. I sometimes use obsess-ablity to get what I want. I don't see NTs in particular going after jobs like this. I think that it just takes guts, no matter who you are.

Well said, Jacoby.

Some of us can occasionally display a burst of sociability that would make a glad-handing politician jealous. This seems to make a difference in a job market where the employers are looking for people who can get along with others. Having this skill seems to be at least as important as having skills in science, technology, engineering, and maths (e.g., "STEM" skills). While STEM skills can be taught, it seems that when it comes to social skills, you either have them or you don't.

I suggest that you observe how NTs interact, and try to emulate their behaviors, no matter how distasteful that may be.

1) Awkwardness/uniqueness: Most of us Aspies are too awkward/unique for our own good. This is what makes us hard to make bonds and socialize, it also makes us unappealing to interviewing employers.

2) Misreading/sensitivity: We are very sensitive, which means the slightest thing can bother us, causing us to quickly unravel. The slightest bother in an interview can unnerve us, causing us to fall apart in the interview (I've had this happen). Many of us are horrible at reading the appropriate subtext and context, causing us to miss the mark or not able to interpret the question properly (I've had this happen too).

3)Not able to do network and/or failing at it entirely: Today's world is becoming ever more focused on networking to get ahead, be it a good scholarship, school, interview and/or job. This puts people who are bad at socializing and/or incapable of socializing to any degree at a huge disadvantage.

4) The FINAL ASD BREAKDOWN (it's not exclusive to Aspies): This tends to happen in late High School, College (happened to me), early in career by age 30. This is result of struggling all of then your life with all the added stuff that affects people with ASDs, typically mental health. This final breakdown either leads to death in many cases or lasts up to a few years due to all the medications and stuff you go through to stabilize. The medication we are given has huge side effects that reek havoc on us, lasting up to years in our systems. If you are like me and went through the medications roulette, your breakdown was extended (me it was almost 5 years).

5) #5 goes with #4. Most of us who are Americans and/or from other countries who's governments and medical system accepted Autism and ASDs in the late 1970s and 1980s are now coming of AGE! This means there was very little research done on ASDs, which in turn lead to horrible view that we needed to be made normal by making it conform to social norms and proper socialization. This also means there is very little help for those transitioning to adulthood and/or graduating from college and finding jobs. Over the past few years there has been real movement in properly helping children with ASDs.

Though the problem is none of it lasts post 18 in most U.S. states and countries, though the U.S. Government gives it to you until 22. Obviously if you hit that age, then you get cut off and are damned. You are lucky if you can find insurance who covers what you need at reasonable co-pays and deductibles. There is almost no help for those in most U.S. states, especially in adulthood

With reasons 4 and 5, you have a gap in your skills and resume to explain for, which you aren't supposed to reveal medical circumstances in interviews, resumes, and on the job. Revealing the actual reasons, can lead to you being fired in many jobs or preventing interviews. This leaves you disadvantage.

6) the Great Recession wiped most internships, part time jobs, and full time work out in most countries. If you are in the U.S. you will know that we are in jobless recovery, with most jobs being created are low paying jobs. Canada is now in a heavy recession due to energy prices dropping. The Eurozone is having an uneven recovery. The UK is having a very turbulent recovery. Japan and South Korea are struggling to recover etc...

You want a part time job in most areas of the U.S., good luck! You are either too old, too overqualified, too young and/or too under qualified.

You want an internship you need to meet all the asinine requirements, including industry experience and required degrees. The problem here is you are not qualified enough for jobs that are supposed to be entering point for young people into the career world. You are also competing against career people in their late 20s, 30s and possibly in their 40s who are willing to take internships to get career positions.

You want an entry level position, is has even higher requirements than internships. They also expect you to know how to do the job without training and adjustment period. Thus most graduating college students aren't able to get these positions.
Also many know require masters degrees and other stuff as well.

7)You are competing against people in their late 20s, 30s and many in their 40s who are struggling to gain full time employment.
The official U.S. unemployment figures stands at 5.4%. This though obviously only counts 60,000 people who are surveyed. This also counts any job you've been paid for as employment.
It also counts anyone who has stopped looking for work for whatever reason that isn't being fired for laid off, as voluntarily exiting the job marketing and is not counted as unemployed.
If add all those who the U.S. BLS as voluntarily unemployed/, underemployed (less than 20 hours, who have steady job), and those who who are getting by week by week doing odd jobs/non steady unemployment

online application processes: Every company uses an online system for job posting and applications. They literally make you create an account, spend an hour or so entering your information, then do that again for the next company. They also scan your information for keywords and whatever else they are looking for. If the system matches up with you, you might get a call back.

Oh most employers are typically swamped with applications. In most cases HR has also been outsourced to an incompetent 3rd party, who if very lucky does the bare minimum. They do not understand anything other than the literal pages their business partners give them. They really do not understand the jobs or the companies they work with.

9) Fake postings: Many companies post jobs that they have no intention of filling by external candidates. They in many cases are hiring internally. They also do this in order to show the government there are no qualified applicants, which should allow them to import VISA holders from countries including India.
They are required by federal law to post these jobs.

It's bad enough being young and/or unemployed, but to have an ASD (or any disability for that matter) it makes it that much worse.
I've decided to use my local state agency that is supposed to have a good career placement program for people with ASDs.
I can't deal with job hunting anymore.